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Wrt the engine, you're very much limited by 'production quality' as to how much extra power you can extract from them (I'm talking i6 red-motor) -- a lot here depends on how 'authentic' or 'period correct' you want the modifications to be... ...I'm too old... <grin>...the first true performance engine Holden made, was in the HD/HR models ~ this was the 'X2' performance pack...it came with twin downdraft strombergs on an otherwise unimproved intake manifold, with a two piece exhaust manifold (reckoned to be as good as extractors)... ....these engines were built upon the '179HP' cylinder block, which included extra webbing in the casting to make it stronger and less susceptible to block distortion... The next performance i6 came out with the HK Monaro (also found it's way into the LJ GTR Torana ... the car I wish I hadn't sold)...it had pretty much the same manifold setup, but was built against the '186S' block...this block retained all the extra webbing of the 179HP block, but added a forged steel crankshaft (instead of the stock cast crankshaft), because it was possible to snap the crank... ...apart from the inherent weaknesses in the stock (cast crank) blocks, the next limiting factor is the cylinder head porting & combustion chamber design, and the actual valve sizes. Back in the day, you could buy a 'yella terra' cylinder head (from stage 1 to stage 5 gradients), and this was the way to get serious power out of them -- with the extra breathing of these heads, you could fit a triple SU or DCOE Weber setup... ...obviously, these mods were a waste of time on a stock cylinder head/camshaft grind. My housemate rebuilt the i6 in his VH dunnydore about 6 months back -- this is a 186S block with the 12port 2850 blue motor head and intake/exhaust manifolds, with a dual throat Weber off an XF Falcon mounted on an adapter plate ; it's not a bad makeup...got more torque & fuel economy just light-footing it about on the first throat, but stand on it and it makes more giddy-up than the standard 2850 blue motor that it replaced. Personal note: I'd just fit an RB30 and be done it it 😃 -
Thanks for sharing. That's a great video! My buddy is doing the same thing on his build (S chassis struts and towers). He's building an S14 with billet RB30 shooting for 2000whp... a race car with a TH400 just like this video. For a road car I just couldn't go this route as the strut has to be almost vertical and the caster is not going to pivot correctly (let alone camber gain). You think the R32 frontend is bad, wait till you put a MacPherson strut on without modeling it all in Solidworks to check geometry. I'm not saying it's a bad way to do it but I'd be really curious to see how it affects the geometry. -
Hey Christof and welcome! Sounds like an awesome project! I'm not sure many of the regular users on here would know much about the HK but I could be wrong. Looking forward to updates. -
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First time visitor and currently getting ready to start work on my HK Premier. Its all stock, 186 with 3 on the tree. The only mod i have right now is extractors. I am hoping to get some guidance on slightly modifying the engine to bring a little more power. Just going for a nice, comfortable cruiser. The car is very straight, however i have been out of the country for 20 years and its been gathering dust at a family farm. Will be doing quite a bit of body work to cut out some small rust areas (frnt quarter panels and a few other small bits) and fix up the paint. Will be redoing the interior (its currently black and the seats are in real need of recovering and respringing the driver side (its front bench seat). The dash needs a little TLC, but no real damage. As my heater has degraded I am considering fitting something after-market that will be both heater/AC (recommendations here are always welcome). Wanting something discrete that will allow me to use the same controls and not be obvious once inside the car. For the engine, i have been told i could consider upgrading my cam (imagine i would need a new head as well) and putting a new carby (currently the original stromberg). However not sure what is going to be the best route. Would certainly welcome any comments/suggestions. As a final step I am looking at changing the wheels. Current hubcaps are in dire need of refurbishment or replacement (imagine its a bit like hens teeth). Thinking of some clean/classic looking mags (7-inch should be more than enough - not going for a large change in look). Welcome any comments/advice and of course any questions.
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